On any given day the kitchen table is an instant snapshot into my life. At times I’ve altogether avoided a quick glance. The piled high mess hits too close to the chaotic stress I’m living inside and out. Space closes in, squeezing ever so harder until there’s no room for movement whatsoever.
I break, the table wins and the process of bringing order begins again.
I remain amazed – after how many times now? – even the simple motion of starting causes shifts, and a table cleared is nothing short of enthralling. Stress is released, openness is created and the flow of energy returns feeling like a cool breeze refreshing my soul. There’s a heightened awareness of long lost freedom within.
Admittedly, my tolerance for disarray varies widely in direct relationship to “out of sight, out of mind”. Bringing attention to order this week has forced me to take an honest look at what’s not so “out of mind” as I thought.
Each thing out of place, misplaced or not finished becomes one more ball to juggle. The naked reality is I’m juggling much more than the two or three things I can capably keep in the air. Balls four, five and six through twelve pull focus and energy away from what really matters.
A few stragglers sit in the “to file” folder. An important document needs to be located – it’s somewhere in the house. Year-end needs to be put to bed. A staple gun sits on the office supplies shelf. I’m not sure if I bought the toner cartridge I now need.
The important stuff is more than handled. But these nigglers are nonetheless distractions pulling focus away from what I really want to be doing, what others need me to be doing.
Freedom, space and time are opening up as I envision each niggler in its place and a thing of the past. What better motivation to make reality happen.
Living Bliss is a jump-in-with-both-feet look at where Life bumps into the everyday – whether at work, play or times in between. Bliss knows no separation in the end. From a deeper dive into the ordinary pops forward the extraordinary life we search for – and has been there waiting for us to be.
Not quite a crazy cat lady – yet? – Lorraine’s insatiable curiosity of life leads her to explore, question and push beyond the box. A self-professed “left-brained creative big picture idea” type, she has an intuitive knack for seeing possibility everywhere and in everyone, and is a moth-to-flame for being part of turning possibility into reality. More of Lorraine’s musings can be found on her blog.
Yes!! Oh my, I wish you could see my kitchen counter right now. Papers pile up, I feel the release when I go through them all, then one by one, they reappear. And yep, every little bit I notice as I walk around the counter…and around the house. Little pulls on my attention, here and there. Clutter on the outside creates clutter in my mind. I’ll keep working on it…thought by thought, paper by paper. Thank you for this, Lorraine!
Ahhh, kitchen counters – my other reminder order is never really done. I suppose they say the kitchen is the heart of the home, so not surprising there would be so many places for things to gather.
Welcome Lorraine! Thanks for this reminder of the cycles and daily-ness of our need for order.
Thanks January. Cycles is a great way to describe the “never really done” ebb and flow nature to order.
Our dining room table is the clutter-collector, our kitchen being tiny and counter space already at a premium… I dream of a clutter-free table… One day, soon. Yes, soon! ;o) Thanks for the inspiration, Lorraine.